Tuesday Grab Bag: Surviving the Bye Week Blues

Hey, happy November!  You know, that month that marks the start of basketball season. It's been a long winding road, but we're almost there.  Two Friday's from now, the season will finally tip off against Sacramento State, and we'll get to see just what Tad and the team have in store for us.  I'll have my annual Massive Preview up for consumption early next Tuesday, but, til then, we'll just have to do with this non-basketball filler.  I apologize in advance.

Oh, and the football team has a sort of big game this week against UCLA.  I guess you can be excited about that, as well...

Today in the bag, I'm reminding you that there are always championships in the #BananaStand, how the rest of the Pac-12 fared in football with the Buffs on a bye, and a stumble on the soccer pitch.

Click below for the bag...

Tuesday Grab Bag: #TheRise Explodes Onto National Television

Before I get to the bag, celebrating a strong start to the new football season, I would like to take a moment to admonish those of you removing the brakes from the hype train as it begins to leave the station.  Yes, the Buffs looked good Friday night, and, yes, the rest of the Pac-12 South looked suspect throughout the remainder of Week 1.  However, anyone insinuating (or out-right stating) that the Buffs, after just one game against weak competition, are suddenly players in a league and a division they have routinely played whipping-boy to has lost their damn mind.

I don't want to throw cold water on a performance that certainly deserves recognition and excitement - this is, after all, the best Colorado has looked after a game against FBS competition, such as it is, since... what, Wyoming in 2009? The 2010 RMS? - but let's keep some perspective.  This team was never going to be defined by the way it performed in this game; it will be defined by how they take to the conference slate, something that is still far from known.  Basically, on this happy Tuesday, my message is this: call me after that trip to Oregon at the end of the month.

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking the Rocky Mountain Beat-down, notable action around the world of college football, and how the rest of the CU Athletic Department fared.

Click below for the bag...

Tuesday Grab Bag: In Which Coach Boyle (jokingly) Offers a Refund

No time for idle chat in this shortened work-week. Today in the bag, I'm talking the narrow escape against Nebraska-Omaha, the frustration in Pullman, and runners-up honors for the #BananaStand.

Click below for the bag...

Tuesday Grab Bag: #ItIsFinallyNovember

As a good son should, I called my mother the other night. Among other things, she asked my thoughts on the basketball team and their upcoming season. To my surprise, I could on stammer for a full minute before finally saying 'I don't know.' In retrospect, I feel that's just not a very good preview, so I'm hard at work turning those three words into 15,000. Expect the sixth iteration of the Massive Basketball Preview to drop next Tuesday, November 10th. Prepare yourself accordingly.

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking the goings on at the Rose Bowl, the Banana Stand getting up to its old tricks, and a newly crowned champion in baseball.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: The Return of the Wyoming Curse

I'd like to first state, for the visiting fan, a roadie from Denver/Boulder to Laramie is ridiculously easy, given good weather.  The total round trip is four hours, and, if you take 287, the drive is worth it from an aesthetics standpoint.  Laramie itself is little but a blip on the map, but it has some nice spots to hit and hangout before the game (I went to the Crowbar).  The Arena-Auditorium is also a nice place to watch a game; a comfortable Pit-esque facility with good sight lines.  It it weren't for CU constantly getting their ass kicked up there, I'd have no problem with the series getting extended.

That said, however, after what I saw this weekend, it'll be a cold day in hell before I'll want the Buffs to trek back up there.  I give in, the Wyo curse is real and insurmountable.  I'd rather go back to Lawrence.

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking the debacle on the high plains, the perfunctory loss in Eugene, and the Banana Stand salvaging a tough Saturday.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: Off and Running

Whooo, it was good to get back into the CEC Friday night!  It may not have had the feel of a big game night, but it certainly felt like basketball season; a long overdue return. I'm excited to get back in there this evening for the CU hoops sleep over against Auburn.  I'm bringing my blanket and pillow, you bring the s'more fixings.

The Keg is open for business.  From: the BDC

Today in the bag, I'm talking the opening win over Drexel, a fantastic weekend across the entire athletic department, and a quiet signing day.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: A Step Backwards

I'm deep into the writing of my 2014-15 Massive Basketball Preview.  As always, the word 'massive' barely does it justice.  For example, I've spent 1,000 words, so far, on Ski Booker alone (Spencer only got 650 last year, FWIW).  'Tome of excellence' is probably more apt, but I'm probably stuck with 'massive,' at this point...  but, I digress.  If you're eagerly awaiting the completion of this beast (why wouldn't you be?), look for the final release around November 11th.  Til then, it's back to football...

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking the letdown in Los Angeles, the upcoming football schedule, and the Banana Stand doing Banana Standy things.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: #26

The football team lived up to expectations Saturday night, proving completely ineffective against a very good Trojan defense.  While they would put 29 second-half points on the board, mostly through a 22-point fourth quarter that occurred long after I left the stadium, the first half was a comedy of zeros.  The result: a 47-29 loss that cemented their bowl-less fate.  At least the Buffs covered?

Sefo Liufau and the Colorado offense had a tough time moving the ball against USC.  From: the BDC.

Here's the pre-halftime drive chart: punt, punt, safety, punt, punt, interception, fumble.  Woof.  In all, CU could only put up 69 first half yards, and scored more points for USC then they did for themselves.  With the program's first bowl trip in six years on the line, it was a heartbreaking letdown to see the offense unable to live up to their side of the bargain.  Moving the ball against the Trojans was never going to be easy, and I don't know what else I reasonably could've asked for, but the bottom line is they didn't come through when needed.

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking the banana stand's triumphant Saturday, basketball against Harvard, and soccer's magical run to the Sweet Sixteen.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: Game Week, at last.

To answer your question, yes, in fact, it is November.  Rejoice, basketball fans, we've made it.

While the men won't get the season started for another four days, the women were actually in action this weekend.  In an exhibition with the Colorado School of Mines, the 18th ranked Buffs kicked the tires and shook off the rust en route to a commanding 91-42 victory.

Sure, the competition wasn't close to what the team will face when playing D-1 opponents, but there were plenty of positives to take from the first public action of the season.  Arielle Roberson dropped 20 points in as many minutes, Lexy Kresl posted a 6-0 assist-to-turnover ratio, and the team shot nearly 48% from the field.  Good job all around.

Exhibition season concluded, the ladies will now have to wait until next Tuesday for the official start of 2013-14 when they head up to Fort Collins to take on the Rams.  I expect raw carnage, get it done, Buffs!

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking a cross country championship, another Pac-12 loss in football, and a little basketball.

Click below for the bag...

Tuesday Grab Bag: "You ARE the University of Colorado... Let's start the run tonight."

... and now, a sigh of relief...

How else is there to put it - the Buffs looked good Sunday.  Not everyone-gets-a-trophy good, like they have been for so long, but genuinely good.  The kind of good that you expect to see from a BCS school.

I actually can't wait for this Saturday to see them play again.  I want to get back into Folsom Field and watch this team continue to grow.  If that doesn't say everything you need to know about the current state of the rebuilding process, I don't know what will.

--

Today in the bag, I'm recapping the win over CSU, touching on the strong weekend from the entirety of the athletic department, and take a spin around the world of college football.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: Sweeping though Charleston

What a way to start the season, huh?  BuffNation, feel free to puff out your chest.  Football may be a thing of the past, but this basketball program is something you can be proud of.  These guys are for real!

Today in the bag I'm talking the tournament capping win over Murray St., the schadenfreude-tastic win over Baylor, and the banana stand's run at nationals.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: The Banana Stand is more dependable than gravity

I announced this Friday afternoon, but I'll reiterate today: the 2012-13 Massive Basketball Preview will be up tomorrow morning.  I'm in furious edit mode, as I desperately try to tame the 11,000 word beast, but I'm confident that it'll be ready for release within the next 24 hours.

May God have mercy on my soul.

--

Today in the bag, I'm talking Cross Country, the basketball scrimmage with SMU, a 4th Buff entrant into the NBA, the happenings in Eugene, and my weekly notes from the world of football.

Click below for the bag...

Monday Grab Bag: That winning feeling didn't last long

Not a whole lot for Buff Nation to smile about over the weekend.  Hopefully the Banana Stand can come through today and shock the running world with dueling national championships to go with our dueling Pac-12 titles.  In my continued quest to give the cross country teams some love, I'd like to point everyone in the direction of Flotrack, who, much like their mens preview from last week, have a preview of the womens team up.  The Rumblings of a Deranged Buffalo: where CU fans come to get linked to other peoples thoughts on cross country.

Today in the bag, I'll take a look at the debacle in the Rose Bowl, tease my trip to Utah, recap the Puerto Rico tournament, and take my weekly look at random happenings in football.

Click below for the bag...

Quick Post: the Banana Stand is back at it

The CU Cross Country team, with their dependable banana stand in tow, are headed for the NCAA Championships next Monday.  Again, I know next to nothing about the sport, other than you run over hills for a few hours, so I'm not really in a position to give you knowledgable analysis.

But these guys are.  They've got a nice preview of the mens team here, and they've got plenty of comprehensive coverage to prime you for a sport that I don't understand... other than the fact that we're good at it.

GO BANANA STAND!

Monday Grab Bag: The Banana Stand comes through

We may suck at football, we may be struggling in soccer and volleyball, but those frozen bananas from the Cross Country Banana Stand are plentiful and delicious.  What football game?  This week it's all about the victorious runners.

Click below for the bag...

There's always money in the Banana Stand

Following on the heels of the recent announcement of the return of "Arrested Development," I went on a watch-binge of the television series.  A fantastic little show, I highly reccomend taking a peek if you have yet to be exposed to it.

One of the central lessons of the series is that "there's always money in the Banana Stand."  The father, George Bluth, meant this literally, having lined the walls of the little frozen chocolate banana stand with $250,000 in cash, but, if you watch the series in its entirety, you'll notice that, through thick and thin, that little banana stand is the only reliable part of the Bluth family's income.  They may disrespect it, forget about it, laugh about it, but that little stand is the rock that the family, and all their wealth, is built upon. 

The Cross Country program at CU is our banana stand, and there's always money in the banana stand.

Fall sports have been, shall we say, 'rocky' in Buff-land for some time now.  Specifically, this season has been flat-out terrible; prior to last Friday's win by the soccer team, CU had gone 0-for-2011 against Pac-12 schools in all sports.  Ah, but the cross-country team.  They've been, per usual, a shining beacon of hope in the fall portion of CU's sporting scene.

The mens squad is currently ranked 6th in the nation, having emerged victorious at the recent NCAA Pre-Invitational.  They're one of six Pac-12 schools appearing in the top-30 poll, and stand barely behind Stanford, who sit at 4th.  The womens team, also one of six Pac-12 schools in the top-30, had been sitting at 4th before a slightly disappointing finish at the same event, yet they still sit at a respectable 16th in the polls.

All told, the CC squad is, yet again, carrying the torch for fall success. 

I'll admit, talking CC isn't exactly in my comfort zone.  I'm the last one you'll find running on a typically beautiful Boulder afternoon, and it's hard to follow a sport that's rarely on TV and doesn't make for stadium viewing.  However, I do love my Universtiy, and CC is all we got going on right now that I can trumpet with any seriousness (at least until basketball tips off... in 18 days, btw).

This weekend, instead of paying any attention to the injured, woe-begotten football program playing ASU in Tempe, AZ, I'm going to focus on, of all things, the Pac-12 Cross Country championships being held down the road in Litchfield Park, AZ.  God knows this athletic department could use some good news, and hopefully the CC squads can provide it by staking claim to Pac-12 gold!

THERE'S ALWAYS SUCCESS IN THE CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM!